In 2025, the air market was characterized by numerous demand shocks and subsequent reconfigurations of tradelanes. Tariff uncertainty has driven short term spikes in unplanned airfreight and accelerated the transfer of manufacturing to South East Asia and India, Ecommerce volumes shifted towards Europe and Intra-Asia but remains an unstoppable force, and artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a key driver of airfreight demand growth while traditional demand is lagging behind. Rates generally decreased slightly year on year as the expansion of supply exceeded the growth in demand but long term capacity growth is expected to be limited as freighters reach retirement age, freighter production is lagging demand and new passenger airplanes have lower cargo capacity.
So what’s next for 2026?
Watch our December 3 webinar where industry experts unpack the forces set to shape the air cargo landscape in the year ahead. We’ll examine the trends, risks, and opportunities that could redefine global air freight.